HARBOUR WORKS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4739, 18 August 1924, Page 2

HARBOUR WORKS.

MATTER OF SELF-SUPPORT. — A STATEMENT BY MINISTER. 1 Since the general public must eventually pay all costs and losses arising out of any other transport ways, it is obvious that no advantage can possibly accrue to a district constructing a harbour which cannot, by reason of cost or lack of outstanding advantage, exist as a self-supporting undertaking and in spite of competition from other transport ways. Such wap a pronouncement made by-the Minister of Marine (the Hon. G. j. Anderson) in addressing the delegates at the conference of the Harbours Association of New Zealand at Wellington on Thursday last. “I wish,” said the Minister, ’‘to stress a departure in administration of the Harbours Act on which I have found it necessary to take a determined stand. The Harbours Act provides that before a “harbour work’ may be commenced the plans thereof must be approved and the work authorised by the Governor-General Council. Hitherto the attitude has largely been that, if the work proposed would not ‘be or tend to the injury of navigation,’ the Department’s function under the Act was fulfilled. It seems clear, however, as the recommendation of approval to the Gov-ernor-General in Council rests in the Minister of Marine, that it is competent for the Minister, acting on expert advice, to exercise a discretion as to whether, in the public interest, every work proposed should be approved provided it was so designed as not to wreck a ship, regardless as to whether it was really necessary, or the expenditure was justified as a selfsupporting harbour work proposition. “Primarily, a harbour work, being one in respect of which the. constructing authority is authorised to levy adequate charges for services rendered, should be a self-supporting undertaking without recourse to special rating on property, particularly so in circumstances where other suitable and reasonable economical means are available for the transport of the goods imported into and exported from the district concerned. “The particular object of to this matter which I believe to be one of primary importance,’’ continued Mr Anderson, “is to urge that before a new harbour work is proposed it should be the subject of. close investigation with a view to determining, before it is authorised, whether (a) a harbour work is essential, transport of goods being not otherwise • econo nically possible ; (b) it is Bound from the navigational and engineering points of view ; (c) if other means of transport exist, whether the provision of an additional means of transport is justifiable; and (d) whether immediately, or within reasonable period, the harbour work will be of . such advantage as to be self supporting without recourse to special rating”' .